If it was, you'd have to argue how that only got to impact results in the past 5 years.
It's more likely to be an environmental factor. If only we could point to something that has changed in the past 5-10 years...
I think it's safe to assume at least one environmental stimulus. I'm just curious about the diverging trend between the sexes. Why did they respond disproportionately?
If by that you mean biological differences, then no way. Genetics don't change on this sort of short time scale. It's almost certainly socio-economic factors.
edit: to clarify genetics for something with the generation time and growth like humans, if we were looking at bacteria you could of course easily see major shifts like resistances to antibiotics in much shorter time frames.
No of course not. I don't have a particular idea in mind. I've heard many people state that the prefrontal cortex develops sooner in women, and this specifically affects how much of the brain is engaged in decision making.
I was certainly prone to seeing everything in black and white in my early 20s. This may have affected my younger brain's susceptibility to extremist views.
Inherent factors could explain different ratios of conservativ vs liberal views in men vs women of that age group, but not drastic changes to such a gap. I'd also rule out brain development as a factor simply based on differences between countries. Human populations do have variances, but not to such a degree when it concerns something this fundamental.
This may have affected my younger brain's susceptibility to extremist views
Or for a positive spin "openness to new or different ideas and values"
I skimmed through a few articles out of curiosity, and some suggest that polarizing statements (e.g. claims of male discrimination) from far-right leaders resonate with young men. Is this testosterone, lack of maturity, etc. or just human behavior? If the shoe was reversed, would the percentage of conservative women increase?